Why is Fool Aleph instead of Magician

Also for the record, there have been attempts to fit the Major Arcana into the Sephiroth. Eden Gray tried it in her book A Complete Guide to the Tarot back in 1970, with what I thought were largely unsatisfactory results. Just to see if I could make more sense of what she was trying to do, I took my own stab at it. Neither of these has anything to do with the association of the cards to the Hebrew letters on the paths or to the number symbolism laid out by Aeon418. If you look carefully at mine, you will see a number of internal astrological correspondences between the left and right columns. I still go with the Golden Dawn model for my own practical work, although I've tinkered with that to amuse myself too; there is another thread on that.

Hi Barleywine....these are interesting....must have taken some time. I think if I were to start thinking along these lines (if I had the time I would).....I might begin with assigning The Fool to Daarth, the hidden Sephiroth. Has anyone tried that do you think? But it is good to know that there are others who as think as I do about the energies. I believe there is something here that is important to understand, but it has to make logical sense to me before I can progress..it has to "feel" right....if you know what I mean. I am aware that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, so at this point, I'm just trying to keep an open mind.

My take on page 21 of The Key to the Wisdom of the Ages is that it strongly supports placing the Fool with Aleph at the head of the series, not the other way around. He even calls Levi's location of the Fool between trumps 21 and 22 "so patently absurd that one wonders how it ever gained credence," while also acknowledging that there is some merit in connecting it with Shin as a "symbol of Spirit." He leads off the whole section with the suggestion that this was most likely a "blind" that Levi was driven to by his vows of secrecy. The final statement makes it clear where Case finally landed on the subject:

"By attributing the Zero trump to Aleph we put it in its correct place, and then the other Tarot Keys are brought at once into correct relation to the letters whose occult meanings they symbolize."

This wasn't revisionism, it was conformance to the Golden Dawn assumption.

Just to re-calibrate myself, I went back and read Crowley's marvelously complex musings on the Fool. The posture of the figure in the Thoth deck even loosely resembles the letter Aleph placed within the Cosmic Egg: "the relationship between 0 and 1." In light of the previous post, it does make me think of an "O/I" switch.

My take on page 21 of The Key to the Wisdom of the Ages is that it strongly supports placing the Fool with Aleph at the head of the series, not the other way around. He even calls Levi's location of the Fool between trumps 21 and 22 "so patently absurd that one wonders how it ever gained credence," while also acknowledging that there is some merit in connecting it with Shin as a "symbol of Spirit." He leads off the whole section with the suggestion that this was most likely a "blind" that Levi was driven to by his vows of secrecy. The final statement makes it clear where Case finally landed on the subject:

"By attributing the Zero trump to Aleph we put it in its correct place, and then the other Tarot Keys are brought at once into correct relation to the letters whose occult meanings they symbolize."

This wasn't revisionism, it was conformance to the Golden Dawn assumption.

Just to re-calibrate myself, I went back and read Crowley's marvelously complex musings on the Fool. The posture of the figure in the Thoth deck even loosely resembles the letter Aleph placed within the Cosmic Egg: "the relationship between 0 and 1." In light of the previous post, it does make me think of an "O/I" switch.

The "on/off" power switch on a piectheree of electronic equipment that looks like a vertical line inside of a circle that's open at the top.

Thanks Barleywine....I'm rather 'old school'....still use a wall phone....no tv for half a century ...(laugh)....only reason I have this computer is because I'm fascinated with Utube and also writing a novel. No children to keep me up to date...so, I'm guilty of being a little "unsavvy" at times...

The letters of the Hebrew alphabet present themselves before the Lord in reverse order. Each letter asks to be the letter of creation. Eventually Beth is selected because it is the initial letter of BRK, Blessing. The letter Aleph does not present itself, but is singled out as the "first of all letters" and the symbol of unity.

It could be argued that the allegory has nothing to do with Tarot. Despite that the symbolism is highly suggestive. The letter Beth is the first letter of creation and yet it is only the second letter of the alphabet. This is similar to the Magus of Tarot who is card number 1 and Beth-2.
Aleph seems to be special and set apart from the other letters in a way that mirrors the Fool and it's lack of a Roman numeral.

The letters of the Hebrew alphabet present themselves before the Lord in reverse order. Each letter asks to be the letter of creation. Eventually Beth is selected because it is the initial letter of BRK, Blessing. The letter Aleph does not present itself, but is singled out as the "first of all letters" and the symbol of unity.

It could be argued that the allegory has nothing to do with Tarot. Despite that the symbolism is highly suggestive. The letter Beth is the first letter of creation and yet it is only the second letter of the alphabet. This is similar to the Magus of Tarot who is card number 1 and Beth-2.
Aleph seems to be special and set apart from the other letters in a way that mirrors the Fool and it's lack of a Roman numeral.

What a great link to the alphabet....thank you Aeon....

I'm not sure I can explain where I'm coming from without the Papus spread being laid out...but I will try. There are a couple of reasons I'm being so stubborn here, and the main one is that I don't think I would ever give up the Papus spread with the septenaries and ternaries....for me, it represents the Fool's path, particularly through the Dark Night (13 through 18) and back out into the Sun and literal transformation from the Sun (19) through the World (20). And when I see Temperance (Archangel Michael), directly across from the Devil...and the Star (navigational star in the heavens) directly across from the Moon.....the whole Dark Night falls into synch and a light bulb goes on it is so obvious to me......to change it now would discombobulate my entire take on the tarot. To clarify here...I see Temperance as the only card in the deck stronger than the Devil. You may recall, Archangel Michael was the angel who grabbed Satan by the ankle and threw him/her into hell...and I see the Star lighting the way through the Moon Card...and then when one gets through the final septenary that ends with the Moon card....the Fool is greeted by the Sun....which is "transformation". When I say the layout "fits like a key", that is predominantly my reference. When the Fool is the first Yod...the entire path dissipates.

The other reason is The Fool isn't necessarily first...it could be last...or it could be outside the arcana sequence altogether....unless, of course, you want to fit it into a preconceived mold (which is why I am suspicious of Paul Case). I see the Fool as either zero or 22....outside the loop. There are a lot of attempts to justify different opinions...I'm not sure where mine comes from...other than my own mind (which clicks with Papus).

I got involved here because I recently took a notion to learn the Thoth deck....because it is revered by so many and I don't have a clue about it....so my interest is stimulated...when I decide to go into something like this I begin at the beginning...and I get stumped right away with the Fool card....and it is a big "stop" sign....I can't seem to get around it.

The letters of the Hebrew alphabet present themselves before the Lord in reverse order. Each letter asks to be the letter of creation. Eventually Beth is selected because it is the initial letter of BRK, Blessing. The letter Aleph does not present itself, but is singled out as the "first of all letters" and the symbol of unity.

Great link

I just read that the letters of Aleph make 111,three unities -

A - 1, L (lamed) 30 and P(Peh) 80
= 111. Which is also three a trinity.

Crowley in discussing Adjustment, (Lamed) talks of the importance of the Letters Aleph and Lamed as constituting the secret key of the Book of the Law, number 31. I am wondering why this formula doesn't seem to include Peh as above.

I was understanding the former as The Fool as Aleph, (A) representing air and the breath or spirit of God activating the material world (illusion) in Adjustment represented by (L)Lamed. Adjustment also seems to be associated with Time- the black restrictive chains of Saturn and the scales of infinity of Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end ( I am the Alpha and Omega...God)

Peh the mouth associated with the Tower, as the fiery breath of insight, for a new way of thinking or the devouring mouth... Crowley talks about the eye of Horus dominating this card, which is also the eye of Shiva, the opening of which the universe will be destroyed.

Not entirely sure where I am going with this, I think maybe the breadth and the all potential of the Fool as Aleph, from the Beginning to the end of time, well, hopefully not the devouring end...

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